Magic give franchise cornerstone $85 million extension

Howard was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NBA draft, and he was selected for this past season's All-Star game.

"Dwight already is one of the most intimidating forces in the league down low, and at 21 years old, he is only going to get better," Magic general manager Otis Smith said in a statement.

Howard played in all 82 games last season, averaging 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds while helping lead the Magic to the playoffs for the first time in four years. He will have the chance to play in the backcourt with newly signed forward Rashard Lewis.

In other news

•

Photo: MARK AVERY, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard signed an $85 million contract extension on Thursday.

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard signed an $85 million contract extension on Thursday.

George would've made around $2 million under the deal he signed last summer, but opted out of it last month. Bartelstein spoke with several teams, only to find that the best combination of salary and championship potential came from Dallas.

• Vaughn,Bonner geared to repeat — Jacque Vaughn and Matt Bonner each re-signed multiyear deals with the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Terms were not released.
Vaughn, 32, a 10-year veteran who also has played for Utah, Orlando and New Jersey, averaged 3.0 points and 2.0 assists as point guard Tony Parker's backup last season. He appeared in 64 games in his first season with the Spurs and also played in all 20 playoff games.

Bonner, 27, also joined the Spurs last season after two years in Toronto. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 4.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 56 games.